Tufting roving



E. KOELLA TUFTING ROVING April 28, 1931.

Fild June 17, 1930 WWI-MU I .7, 5 i 4 Y "li\\\.\ 4 I Patented Apr. 28, 1931 T STATES PATENT,OFFICE1 ERNEST KOELLA, OF ROCKFORD, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNQR TO ROCKFORD MANUFACTUR- v ING C01VIPAN'Y,'0F ROCKFORD, TENNESSEE, A CORPORATION OF TENNESSEE TUFTING Roving Application filed June 17,

This invention relates to rope-form rovings suitable to be out transversely into pieces to form tufts for tying bed mattresses and similar structures. Such tufts areto be adapted to constitute a key or button to be held by the thread which extends transversely through the mattress in one direction and backin the'reverse direction, whereby a loop is formed by the thread, the tuft lying in that loop and against the mattress.

It is essential that the tuft be soft and that it will, after being attached to the mattress, be fluffy and spread so as to fill the dent or depression formed in the mattresscover by the strain of the tying thread which, as above stated, extends through the" mattress. Cotton, being. soft and elastic, is a material well suited to the making of such tufts. When such a tuft is placed into the loop of the thread which ties the mattress, and the tuft is drawn against the mattress by the tying thread, the tuft is folded over the thread whereby the ends of the tuft spread and form a soft fiuffy surface even with or as somewhat above the general plane of the mattress cover. No material lacking. thisv softness and elasticity is suitable for making this roving. Indeed, cotton is now largely in use for making such tufts.

The rope-form roving must be so constituted that sections cut transversely from the body will constitute tufts having the qualities above indicated.

Furthermore, provision must be made for rapidly at intervals binding and cutting the body or rope into sections of uniform length, For that purpose, machines I are used, the rope-form body beingmade to pass through a relatively restricted passage in thema- 4o chine. These machines include means for binding the roving .rope transverselyat longitudinal intervals before the rope is cut, the cuts being made approximately midway between the bindings, whereby the bindings are placed midway between the ends of the tuft, as is desirable. In order that the tufts may be of uniform length and the bindingsbe'placed midway between the ends of the tufts, the feeding of the roving rope must proceed with substan- 1930 Serial No. 461,776. I a a a v tial uniformity .of speed; That calls for certain qualities 'orcharacteristics in the roving rope, as will be explained further on, the 'absence'of those qualities or characterise tics rendering the roving rope impractical for treatment in the bindingandf cutting machine, I 1

The necessary qualities 'ofcharacteristicS of the"roving rope are such'uniformityin diameter and density as will facilitate'such u'niforin' engagement of the ropein its passage throughthe machine as will causethe presentation of equal lengths 0f the rope to the bindingmechanism and the cutting meclianism'of the machine; v I

1 In addition'to density and uniformity of thickness, the rope mustihave a degree of longitudinal tensile strength to resist stretching and adapt the rope to be drawn or'moved through the machine with uniform speed. Indeed such tensile strengthji'san aidin producing and maintaining uniform diameter and density. Stretching any rope tends'to reduce the diameter of any part thatis stretched. I i But while the rope is given this l density and uniformity of thickness and tensile strength, it' must becomposed of soft elastic cotton adapting the tuftsato expand and present soft and fiufly spread ends when the tufts are applied'to themattress; 3 1 These practical'and necessary character-j isticsfof the rope relative to the formin of the' tuft's by the aid of the machine an relative to'the finished tufts when applied to the mattress, are to be kept in mind while comparing my invention with analogous rope-form" structures disclosed by'the prior" tufting wicking or roving yarn; No. 1,732,593, P. D. Cannon, Oct. 22, 1929, production of composite yarns and yarn of said character; and No. 1,738,098, J. C. Coram, Dec. 3, 1929, apparatus for making textile strands.

According to the .Lowry patent, palmetto through fweaving operation.

[The Samuel patent discloses a strip to be used for making portieres, rugs, and the like, the strip or strand being strong enough to withstand beating and also withstand the -tensional strain which comes from V the action of the shuttle during the weaving operation. In each of. the three forms shown 'by the drawing, there .is an element consisting ,of material .intended to impart longitudinal strength and hardness.

The Whitlock patent is for a rope built for tensile strength. Every step in the building of the rope looks toward providing tensile strength. and durability during continued use involving applying tensional strain. 111 that rope, density or hardness ture. Around this is als'ofa feature.v This rope has no outer spiral thread serving as a binder.

"The Frank patent shows a number of roves or'strands laid straight and parallel with respect to the axis of the entire struc- V bundle of parallel strands wound a spiral yarn, the convolutions' bei ng far apart. The specification mentions that by leaving all the body stran dsYparalle'l to each other instead of twisting lthem, ill effect from twisting the entire body of strands .is avoided, the exterior strands in sucha. twisted body of strandsbeing of greater length than the in-z tenor strands, and there being then. a

difference in ,back twist As willbe described further ,on, in my improved structure there is only onelayer of spiral strands. 5.

Therefore the twisted strands are all of the same length, and if there is tendency to backtwis'tl, that tendency is uniform throughoutthe structure.

The struc'ture of the Cannon patent includes asbestos fiber and enough lcotton fiber to Ihold thelasbestos fiber. The fibers are placed lengthWisePand parallelto each other to ram lthe body. Then threads or wires are woundspirally around the body. Then the entire body twisted in the direction iform -structure .:-formed according to .:my,

method .and having the characteristics herein described concerning my structure. And not-oneof the structures of this group of patents is adapted to be cut into sections forming mattress -tufts having the qualities herein described.

In considering the nature ofv my improved roving rope, it is to be kept in mind that its chief use is for the production of such tufts ashave been above described. In that view, this roving may be regarded as not in itself useful, as not having function. The roving may be regarded as a :distinct article of manufacture. It is adapted to pass in trade from a manufacturer of roving to, the user of tufts, the latter binding and cutting the roving to form tufts. But the inanufacturer of the roving .may also bind and cut the roving to form tuftsand sell the tufts to users.

This rope roving .may also be used as 'wicking and for similar purposes; but such use is to ,be regardedas limited and subordinate to the making of tufts for use in the manufacturing of bed mattresses and similar structures. 9

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side view of a piece of tufting roving embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective of four strands .adaptedlto form the longitudinal .core of being perpendicular to the axis of the struc- .L ture; i V

Fig. 4 is an oblique section on the line,- 4-4, of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a side view of a finished tuft,

g Fig. 6 .is a detail section showing a tuft applied to a mattress,

Fig. 7 is a section on the Fig. 6, looking toward the right;

Fig. 8 is aplan showing the tuft of Figs. 6 and '7'. 7

Referring to the drawings, the elements in my completed rovingare: (1.) several strands, A, of soft cotton fiber lying parallel to each other and in close contact and forming a core; soft cotton spiral or yarns or fine rovings, B, lying parallel :to and against each other and against thecore, in the form of a single-tubular layer completely surrounding the core; and a thin relatively firm thread, C, preferably of .cot-

line, .7, bf

ture.

' degree of soft elastic cotton.

ton, extending spirally around the body formed by the core strands, A, and thespiral soft cotton strands, B, the thread being wound spirally in the direction opposite the winding of the spiral strands, B, and the thread being under sufficient tension to'be drawn or pressed into the body formed by the core strands and the spiral strands, whereby the thread is somewhat embedded in said body. 1

Thus the general surface of the finished structure is of soft cotton, the thread lying inward toward the axis or core of the structure. But it is to be noted that the thread need not be hard. It may be only strong enough to function until the'adjacent part of the rope has been bound and cut.

The spirals of the thread, C, are near enough to each other to condense the struc- This action is facilitated by winding the thread transversely to the course of winding of the spiral cotton strands, as above stated. This makes the structure compact and of sufficiently stable form to facilitate feeding the structure through a rela-- tively restricted passage formed in a machine which operates to bind the roving at equal longitudinal intervals and cut the roving between those intervals, the pieces thus cut from the roving formingtufts. In the drawings, the bindings are designated by the letter, D.

Such feeding of the roving must proceed with substantial uniformity of speed, in order that the pieces or sections cut from the roving structure will be of equal length, and in order that the binding, D,'or other securing means may be midway between the ends of the tuft, in order that the ends of the folded tuft will be even.

As. above stated, the finished tuft, when applied to the mattress, E, by means of the tying thread, F, must be soft and fluffy and must have its ends spread to form a surface substantially even with the general surrounding surface of the mattress. This calls for making the roving to the largest My improved roving consists entirely of such cotton, including, if desired, the thin outer thread, C. In the finished or separated tuft, the short piece of that thread will be embedded in the soft cotton mass which constitutes the body of the tuft, only the ends of the thread coming to the surface of the tuft. If that thread is composed of cotton, spun closely, its loose ends in the finished tuft are adapted to unwind and become parts of the fluffy surface of the applied tuft.

It is also to be noted that, by applying the core and the spiral parallel strands to each other and applying the thread spirally around the bodyof spiral strands in the opposite direction and under tension, in the manner described, the roving structure is madesufiiciently firm to prevent flattening of the structure and to prevent slipping of spiral soft cotton strands surrounding and bearing on the core and lying parallel to and against each other, and a thread. wound spirally around the body formed by the core and the spiral strands, the spirals vofthe threadbeing spaced from each other and lying in the direction opposed to the direction of the spiral strandsr I 2. In a tufting roving, the combination of a group of parallel longitudinal soft cotton core strands, a single layer of spiral soft cotton strands surrounding and bearing on the core strands and lying parallel to and against each other, and a thread wound spirally around the body formed by the core strands and the spiral strands, the spirals of the thread being'spaced from each other and lying in the'direction opposed to the direction of .the spiral strands.

3. 11).: a tufting roving, the combination of a longitudinal soft core, a' single layer of spiral soft cotton strands surrounding and bearing on the core and lying parallel to and against each other, and a thread wound spirally around the body formed by the core and the spiral strands, the spirals of the thread being spaced from each other and lying in the direction opposed to the direction of the spiral strands and the thread being under tension whereby it is partially embedded in the spiral strands and the spiral strands are pressed toward and against the core.

4. In a tuftingroving, the combination of a group of parallel longitudinal soft cotton core strands, a single layer of spiral soft cotton strands surrounding and bearing on the core strands and lying parallel to and against each other, and a thread wound spirally around the body formed by the core strands and the spiral strands, the spirals of the thread being spaced fromeach other and lying in the direction opposed to bearing on the core and lying parallel to and against each other, and a thread wound 12 the direction of the spiral strands and the I spirally around' thebody formedby the core a-ndthe'spiral strands, the spirals of the thread being spaced from each other and lying in the direction opposed to the direction of the spiral strands and the spiral strands being under moderate tension and thespiral thread being under more tension. "6. In a tufting roving, the combination of a longitudinal soft core, asingle layer of spiral soft cotton strands surrounding and bearing on the core and lying parallel to and'against eachother, and a cotton thread Wound spirally around the body formed by the core and the spiral strands, the spirals of the thread'being spaced from each other and lying in the direction opposed direction of the spiral strands.

7. In a tufting roving, the combination of a group of parallel longitudinal soft cotton core strands, a single layer of spiral soft cotton strands surrounding and bearing on the core strands and lying parallel to and against each other, and a cotton thread Wound spirally around the body formed by the core strands and the spiral strands, the spirals of the thread being spaced from each other and lying in the direction opposed to the direction of the'spiral strands.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name, this ninth day of June, in the year one thousand nine hundred and thirty.

ERNEST KOELLA.

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